Land Rover Defender
Registered from 1997 to 2027.
About this model
The Land Rover Defender is a series of British off-road cars and pickup trucks. They have four-wheel drive, and were developed in the 1980s from the Land Rover series which was launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in April 1948. Following the 1989 introduction of the Land Rover Discovery, "Land Rover" became the name of a broader marque, no longer the name of a specific model; thus, in 1990, Land Rover renamed them Defender 90, Defender 110 and Defender 130 respectively.
From the Wikipedia article Land Rover Defender, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it stands out against its peers
- Visibility/wiper: more complaints than 95% of 2022 cars — 18% of its 144 complaints, where an ordinary 2022 car has 4%.
- Exterior lighting: more complaints than 95% of 2022 cars — 17% of its 144 complaints, where an ordinary 2022 car has 3%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 32 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash
- VISIBILITY/WIPER — 24 owners reported this
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 20 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — 4 owners reported this
- ENGINE — 4 owners reported this
- STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE — 4 owners reported this
- STRUCTURE — 4 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS — 2 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES — 2 owners reported this, 2 involving a crash
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — 2 owners reported this
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — 2 owners reported this
- EQUIPMENT — 2 owners reported this
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,BACK OVER PREVENTION — 2 owners reported this
- LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION — 2 owners reported this
- POWER TRAIN — 2 owners reported this
- POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 2 owners reported this
- SEATS — 2 owners reported this
- SERVICE BRAKES — 2 owners reported this
- STEERING — 2 owners reported this
- STEERING,ENGINE — 2 owners reported this
- STRUCTURE,EQUIPMENT — 2 owners reported this
- SUSPENSION — 2 owners reported this
- TIRES — 2 owners reported this
- VISIBILITY — 2 owners reported this
Crash test
| Stability control | Standard |
| Forward collision warning | No |
| Lane departure warning | No |
Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.
Specification
| Year | Measured |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 400 hp · 2243 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 12.4 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2025 | 400 hp · 2243 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.8 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2024 | 400 hp · 2243 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.8 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2023 | 400 hp · 2243 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 12.4 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.2 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2022 | 400 hp · 2193 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 13.1 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.8 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2021 | 300 hp · 2193 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 12.4 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.2 motorway · Suv, 4-door |
| 2020 | 300 hp · 2193 kg · 3020 mm wheelbase · 12.4 L/100km (EPA) · 13.8 L/100km city · 11.2 motorway |
| 1997 | 1618 kg · 2360 mm wheelbase · 18.1 L/100km (EPA) · 19.6 L/100km city · 16.8 motorway |
Recalls
Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.
22% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.
21V424000
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The Connected Diagnostic Services (CDS) and the Over-the-air (OTA) diagnostics functionality will be disabled, either by a dealer or through an OTA update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N599.
21V435000
Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the rear light assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 27, 2021. Owners can contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N598.
21V499000
A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the front seat tracks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N609.
21V584000
Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Land Rover will mail owners the correct information to insert into the owner's manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 23, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N601.
21V668000
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed October 20, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N630.
22V523000
Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N720.
23V044000
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Dealers will inspect and replace the engine cam carrier and related components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2023. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N763.
24E102000
A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, remove and reinstall the RAI accessory, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 20, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N964.
2 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.
Regulator investigations
Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.
Rear Seat Belt Stitching Failure and Detachment
Preliminary evaluation, opened December 2025, still open.
What the maker told its dealers
Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.
Land Rover filed 52 bulletins about the 2026 Defender.
- Engine: 5
- Electrical system: 3
- Power train: 3
- Seat belts: 3
- Steering: 2
- Structure: 1
- Suspension: 1
- Other: 34
- Car Configuration File (CCF) Update · August 2026
- Jump Start Information Label Missing · August 2026
- Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob. · August 2026
- Increased effort required to close one or more vehicle doors. · August 2026
- Unable to select Navigation when pressing the navigation Tile on theTouchscreen. · August 2026
- Wireless Device Charger Inoperative Post Software Update · August 2026
- A low-speed ‘clonk’ type noise from the rear driveline, audible during low speed throttle inputs, often coupled with up/down gear changes. The noise is audible during normal road driving conditions. · August 2026
- A Car Configuration File (CCF) update is required, the engine coolant temperature amber warning will then be displayed on the instrument panel cluster when required. · July 2026
44 more.
Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.